Well in this case it was the prop shaft that fell off. We were on our way to Ireland when the 4 bolts of the flexible coupling failed. This is the thing that connects the prop shaft to the gearbox so we had no engine and had to turn around, sail back to Pwllheli, drop the anchor and wait for the RNLI to come and tow us back into the marina. (They were quicker than the RAC, thank a squillion chaps)
So we needed a new flexible coupling which was sourced and fitted by Owain of Paramore Marine within a week. A more skilled and friendlier engineer you will not find.
A wee problem was the anodes on the prop shaft had to be loosened so we could remove the old coupling. So I had to jump into Pwllheli marina and dive down about 25 times to loosen the anodes, then again, when the new coupler was fitted, to tighten them. Top Tip: Tie a rope to the area you are working so you can pull yourself down quickly. It saves a few seconds per dive and you dont use as much energy duck diving every time. Good bit of exercise but would have been a lot more pleasant in clear tropical waters.
So now we have a sexy modern shiney new coupler. It is about half the weight of the old one. I wonder if we will get any performance increase?
Mir, Mandy & Me 